Ceciliano formalizes donation of R$20 million to the National Museum

In a ceremony this Wednesday morning in the century-old gardens of the National Museum, the president of the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj), André Ceciliano, formalized the donation of R$ 20 million to the restoration of the building, destroyed by a fire in 2018. He also lamented the absence of private sector involvement in the reconstruction efforts.

While France raised around R$4 billion for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, unfortunately few people here have helped.

Ceciliano emphasized that the funds donated to the institution come from the House's savings over the last three years, amounting to approximately R$ 1 billion. Visibly moved, he recalled the day he visited the museum as a student at a public school in Paracambi in the 70s. He also said that the images of the devastation caused by the fire remained etched in his memory, reflecting the sadness of the destruction of a cultural asset of such importance to all humanity.

The rector of UFRJ, Denise Pires, expressed her gratitude for the initiative, emphasizing the importance of supporting science during this controversial moment in national life. She also highlighted the role of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) in taking a leading role in the recovery of the National Museum.

"We are extremely grateful to Alerj for taking an effective stance in helping us overcome the scars of this tragedy," he stated.

So far, R$155 million has been raised for the museum's reconstruction, which has a budget of R$370 million. From the private sector, only Vale has contributed effectively with a donation of R$50 million. The banks, institutions that have achieved the highest profits in Brazilian history in recent years, have made no donations. Not a single real.

The parliamentary amendments from federal deputies in Rio resulted in an additional R$ 50 million. BNDES contributed R$ 22 million and the MEC (Ministry of Education) another R$ 15 million.

Also present were deputies Waldeck Carneiro (PT), Tutuca (MDB) and Flávio Serrafini (PSOL), as well as the director of the national museum, Professor Alexander Kellner, who presented a plaque, made of Riga pine from the rubble, in gratitude to President Andre Ceciliano.